A Time for Change
by jen-f2003
Summary: There is another dance in Stars Hollow. This time, however, L/L and R/J go together. an L/L fic with traces of R/J
1. Default Chapter

A/N: This is my very first fan-fic, so feedback would be greatly appreciated. I tried to keep the characters as much in character as possible, but I know that there are moments when they are OOC.  
  
Summary: There is a second dance held in Stars Hallow. This time, however, L/L and R/J are dancing partners. L/L are not together (at least in the beginning (), R/J are a couple.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Gilmore Girls.  
  
It had been two weeks since Rory and Jess started dating, yet Lorelai still wasn't used to it. Here she was, awake at 3 a.m. in the morning. Sure, she had four cups of coffee before going to bed, but she knew that wasn't the reason for her insomnia. Groggily, Lorelai rose out of her bed and tiptoed down the stairs. She glanced into her daughter's bedroom and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Rory breathing peacefully. Shutting the door, she backed out of the room. "Damn it" she muttered as she tripped over a basket of clothes she had happened to leave on the floor a few hours earlier.  
  
"Mom?" Rory called through the darkness, "Is that you?"  
  
Lorelai sheepishly rose up from the floor and went into her daughter's room. "Um . . . hi sweetie. I was just going to the bathroom."  
  
Rory turned on her bedroom light and glanced skeptically at her mother. "There's a bathroom right next to your room upstairs. Go use it."  
  
"See, now normally I would, but when I was exiting my room this strange feeling came over me. I felt like that kid in The Sixth Sense, you know the whole 'I see dead people' bit? Except, of course, I didn't actually see dead people. . .or expect to. I just had that eerie feeling, you know?"  
  
Rory stifled a laugh as she listened to her mother stuttering through an obvious lie. She knew her mother too well; she knew her mother had come downstairs to check on her. Before her mother could get totally lost in her make-believe world, Rory cut in. "Mom, why don't you stay with me tonight?"  
  
"Good plan," Lorelai agreed as she walked over to her daughter, lay down in the bed, and promptly fell asleep.  
  
  
  
* * * * * * *  
  
Lorelai awoke early the next morning to a shirt and a pair of pants being thrown on her face. "Arrgh . . . being attacked by big, scary clothing monster . . . somebody help me."  
  
Rory rolled her eyes as her mother threw the clothes off of her head and pulled her blankets back over her head. "Mom," Rory said pleadingly, "Mom! Wake up! We have no food, and I'm hungry, and I want to go to Luke's."  
  
"Wake me when the sun is actually up," Lorelai grumbled.  
  
"It's nine o'clock!" Rory said exasperated. "The sun has been up for hours!"  
  
"I meant when the sun comes up tomorrow," Lorelai groaned at Rory.  
  
"Mom! Food! Now!" Rory complained as she grabbed her mother's arm and tugged on it.  
  
"Okay, okay! I'm up . . . We both know the only reason you're in such a hurry to get to the diner anyway is to see that new boyfriend of yours," Lorelai teased as she got up from the bed and walked to the door of her daughter's room.  
  
"Woah, Mom . . . I can not believe you're talking to * me * about being in a hurry to get to the diner to see some guy." Rory snickered as her mother gaped at her in shock.  
  
"I do not rush anywhere to talk to anyone . . . especially the particular guy I believe you are talking about" Lorelai stuttered in indignation.  
  
Rory glanced warily at her mother. "Oh, please mom. It is incredibly obvious to not just me, but to every other person in this town, that you are totally into Luke . . . and he is totally into you."  
  
Lorelai opened her mouth to protest, but Rory gave her a hard stare. Lorelai shut her mouth again and muttered as she left her daughter's room "Oh the pain of labor is nothing compared to the pain your child gives you later in life."  
  
Rory rolled her eyes, and yelled after Lorelai, "Just go get dressed mom. We'll leave for Luke's in half an hour."  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
Lorelai opened the door to Luke's forty-five minutes later, Rory at her heels. Rory scanned the diner not so subtly for Jess, and smiled when she saw him leaning against the counter. She glanced at her mother and giggled when she noticed her mother also scanning the diner for someone. Rory exchanged a knowing glance with Jess.  
  
"Looking for someone Ms. Gilmore?" Jess snickered as Rory dragged her mother to a table.  
  
Lorelai eyed Jess warily as she sat down. "As a matter of fact, no. I was just trying to find the best table to sit down at. And look, Rory found one." As if to prove her point, Lorelai sat down in the chair closest to her.  
  
Rory sighed and sat down next to her mother. Would Lorelai ever admit that she cared deeply for Luke? Rory thought not. Lorelai was too stubborn and too afraid of change to ever allow herself to discover the truth of her feelings. Maybe, however, someday . . . if the circumstances were right, she and Luke would discover their passion for each other. Come to think of it, Rory felt that perhaps Luke already knew how he felt about Lorelai.  
  
Lorelai looked at her daughter staring off into space. "You know," she joked, "if you concentrate too hard on that spot on the wall you may just burn a hole through it. Then what would we do? It's winter . . . it's cold outside. I don't want to have to come to the diner in my long underwear."  
  
Rory raised her eyebrows at her mother. "Long underwear?"  
  
"Oh, you know, those white, tight clothes you wear under your regular clothes in the winter?"  
  
"I know what long underwear is, mom, but when have you ever worn it? You don't even own any long underwear."  
  
"No, but I could get some."  
  
"Good idea." Rory laughed. "Next time we go to the mall I'll make sure to remind you to get some long underwear." Rory grinned mischievously at her mother. "I'm sure Luke would love it if you came into the diner in just your long underwear."  
  
"Wow," Lorelai said, "dirty minds really are inherited."  
  
"Nope, just stating a fact." Rory smiled innocently at her mother as they both noticed Luke entering the diner from the stairs. "Here comes lover boy now" she sang.  
  
"Please be quiet, child of mine, before I tell Luke to give you tea instead of coffee."  
  
Rory opened her mouth in horror at her mother. "You wouldn't."  
  
"Oh, but I would." Lorelai smiled sweetly at her daughter as Luke came over to their table to take their order. "Luke, do you have any specials in tea this week? Rory desperately wants a cup."  
  
"Mo-om" Rory whined as she kicked her mother under the table. "I'll be good . . . I won't tell anyone about the previously mentioned person that you're desperately in love with."  
  
Luke looked up sharply when Rory said this. Who was Lorelai in love with? He felt a familiar pang of jealousy eat at his heart. Whoever it was, he knew it would never be him. And while Luke never showed it, that knowledge hurt him deeply. "Do you two want to actually order anything or do you just want to tease each other all day?" Luke said a little more gruffly than intended.  
  
Lorelai glared at her daughter for a moment before she glanced up at Luke. She did a double take when she saw Luke's eyes. He looked upset. He couldn't possibly be upset by what Rory had said, could he? Lorelai quickly dismissed the idea and responded to his query. "Well, I would like two blueberry pancakes, a side of bacon, and a side of waffles. Oh, and of course coffee." She glanced at Rory and then back at Luke, "And let's see.my lovely daughter would like green tea...."  
  
"No, that's okay mom," Rory interrupted her mother, "I think I'll skip the tea. Just give me pancakes and coffee, Luke."  
  
Luke grunted. "You do know that this type of eating habit will catch up to you two someday, right?"  
  
Lorelai smiled. "Well, your abundant charm will keep me happy even when my figure has gone to hell."  
  
Luke glanced at Lorelai. Even if she were three times as large as she was, he would still love her. He couldn't help it- he loved everything about her. Her wit, her intelligence, her ability to be both childlike and mature at the same time . . . she was perfect. Luke shook his head and concentrated on the woman in front of him. "At least when your figure has gone to hell, you will no longer be able to fit through my diner door, and therefore my daily battle of wits with you will be over."  
  
"You're a smart man, Lucas Danes, a very smart man." Lorelai smiled up at Luke. As they were looking at each other, the diner door opened. Taylor Dosey rushed inside with an excited grin on his face.  
  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: I know this is a bad place to end, but I had to end it somewhere. There should be more L/L interaction in the next chapter. 


	2. 1

"Luke! Just the man I wanted to see," Taylor exclaimed as he rushed over to Luke's side and thrust a paper into his hand. "I want you to hang up this sign in your window."  
  
Luke looked down at the paper and shuddered in disgust. He looked back up at Taylor. "Another dance marathon, Taylor? Hasn't our town had enough of the craziness yet?"  
  
Taylor laughed at Luke. "Not a marathon this time, Luke - a formal holiday ball. The proceeds going, of course, to the reconstruction of the rundown bridge."  
  
"I thought the bridge was fixed?"  
  
"It needs a new coat of paint."  
  
Luke snorted. "Are you kidding? You're holding a ball to finance the painting of an old bridge that should be torn down anyway?"  
  
Taylor eyed Luke, quickly losing his patience. "It's not just to raise funds to paint the bridge. It's also to raise town morale. You do realize that some people actually consider dancing fun, don't you?"  
  
"Crazy people," Luke muttered.  
  
"Happy people. Just keep the brochure and at least think about putting it in the window, okay?"  
  
Luke just grunted as Taylor left the diner. He looked over at Lorelai and Rory, who had witnessed the whole thing. "Can you believe this? The whole town's gone crazy."  
  
Lorelai looked up at Luke. "I think it's nice . . . it is a bit soon to have a dance, considering the last one was just a couple of weeks ago, but it still sounds like fun."  
  
"Mom!" Rory interrupted, "Food!" She turned her attention to Luke, "Please, food. Quick."  
  
Lorelai watched with a slight smile as Luke walked away. She looked at Rory. "Can you only talk in monosyllables today, honey? You sound like Luke. Or Jess."  
  
"I'm hungry, Mom."  
  
Lorelai looked skeptically at her daughter. "Uh-huh. So . . . are you going to go to the dance with Jess?"  
  
"Probably," Rory answered, "Who are you going to go with?"  
  
Lorelai turned her head to the side in thought. "I hadn't really thought about it. I mean, I want to go, but I have no idea who I would go with. I haven't really been on a date since that creepy guy from the auction." Lorelai glanced over at Luke. "I wonder who he's going with?" she wondered softly.  
  
Rory smiled at her mother. "You, if you ask him really nicely."  
  
Lorelai jumped out of her reverie. "Geeze . . . did I just say that out loud?" Looking at her daughter, she knew she had. "Luke wouldn't want to go to the ball with me. He hates dances, he hates formal clothes, he hates town events. He wouldn't want to go."  
  
Rory rolled her eyes. "Mom, that man would do anything for you. Can't you see that? If he thought you really wanted to go with him, he would go in a heartbeat. The only reason he didn't want to go to the marathon with you was because he thought you were asking him out of desperation. Make him your first choice. Come on, mom, how often will we ever get to see Luke in a tux?"  
  
Lorelai laughed at that thought. Luke in a tux, huh? She wondered what he would look like in a tux. Handsome, she was sure. Lorelai realized where her train of thought had taken her and snapped out of it. "Well . . . maybe I will ask him. It would be nice to see him take off his flannel clothes for a change." When Rory raised an eyebrow at her, Lorelai realized what she had said. "I meant, it would be nice to see him in clothes other than flannel . . . not that it would be nice to see him naked!"  
  
"See who naked?" Luke wondered as he walked over with Lorelai and Rory's food.  
  
Rory watched her mother's face turn beet red as she looked down at her hands. Rory smiled up at Luke and said, "Oh . . . that man who plays Santa at the Hartford Mall. My mother told me it would be nice to see him take off his outfit he wears every day. When she realized what she said, she said that she meant it would be nice to have him take off that outfit in exchange for other clothing . . . but I think she just wants to see him naked."  
  
"Uh-huh," Luke grunted as he placed Lorelai and Rory's food in front of them. "You guys get weirder every day. Must be the coffee consumption."  
  
Lorelai looked up at Luke. "You know you love it, coffee boy . . .you know, if you didn't agree to serve us the most amazing coffee on earth, we wouldn't be in here every day."  
  
Rory glanced at her mother and then back at Luke. "Oh, I bet we would come in every day anyway," she said with a slight smile. She turned back toward Lorelai and said, "I'm going to go take my food and find Jess. You talk to the person you said you were going to talk to about what you said you were going to talk about!"  
  
"Wow . . . that child talks way too much. I wonder where she gets it from?" Lorelai mused.  
  
Luke snorted out loud and looked at Lorelai strangely. "Way too easy of a comeback, Lorelai. Are you losing your touch?"  
  
"No, I'm not losing my touch. I've just been a little preoccupied with other thoughts lately."  
  
"Such as?" Luke asked warily.  
  
Lorelai glanced around the nearly empty diner. "It's ten o'clock, Luke. No more customers will be coming in for at least another hour . . . why don't you sit down?"  
  
Luke nodded reluctantly and sat down across from Lorelai. He hoped that whatever her troubles were, they wouldn't involve a guy. He wasn't sure if he could handle watching Lorelai obsess over another guy again - and complain about it to him.  
  
Lorelai eyed Luke carefully before preceding. "Well . . . you know the dance?"  
  
"You mean the one Taylor was bugging me about less than 15 minutes ago?" Luke said sarcastically. "Yes, I believe I do."  
  
Lorelai started tapping her fingers nervously on the table. "Well . . . obviously, Rory is going with Jess . . . and, well, I haven't dated anybody seriously for quite awhile . . . and, well, I thought it might be fun if we went together."  
  
Luke looked at Lorelai surprised. "You want me to go with you to a town function at which tuxedo wearing is a must? You've got to be kidding me, Lorelai."  
  
"Lorelai looked at Luke with puppy-dog eyes and pouted. "Come on, Luke. It'll be fun. You know," she looked at him with a sly smile, "I was planning on wearing a form-fitting, low-cut, red dress . . . if that helps your decision any."  
  
Luke laughed. Little did she know that she could go to the ball in a jogging suit and still look beautiful to him. "You know I'm not a dancing kind of guy, Lorelai. You asked me to go to the dance marathon with you, I said no. Why do you think I'll say yes this time?"  
  
"This time is different, Luke," Lorelai insisted. "Last time I asked you to the marathon out of desperation, I needed someone to dance with. This time I really want to go with you. Come on - It'll be fun, I promise."  
  
Luke looked at Lorelai, quickly losing his resolve. Damn it, she could get anything she wanted from him if she begged long enough. "Fine," he muttered.  
  
"What?" Lorelai looked up surprised. She didn't think that Luke would give in - at least not this easily.  
  
"I said I'd go with you, just shut up. You're giving me a headache."  
  
Lorelai squealed and jumped up from her chair. She ran around the table and gave Luke a big hug. "Thanks Luke."  
  
"Your welcome," he grunted.  
  
She smiled at him. "Okay, tomorrow at 8 p.m. I'm going to come over here and we're going to practice."  
  
"Whoa," Luke cut in, "you didn't say anything about having to practice dancing."  
  
Lorelai looked at Luke. "Do you know how to dance?"  
  
"Well, no, but . . .  
  
"Then we need to practice," Lorelai interrupted. "It's this weekend. I'll be here, tomorrow night, at 8, okay?"  
  
Luke rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he grunted. Lorelai would never rest until she got what she wanted anyway.  
  
Rory came bounding down the stairs from Luke and Jess's apartment. "Mom," she said, "are you ready to go now?"  
  
"Yep," Lorelai replied. "I'll just take what I haven't eaten yet home with me." She smiled at Luke. "Can I have a food container, please?"  
  
"Sure thing," Luke replied. He handed her a container and watched her put the remains of her breakfast in it. "See you tomorrow night, Lorelai. Bye Rory."  
  
"See you, Luke," Lorelai replied as she walked toward the door.  
  
"Bye, Santa," Rory replied as she followed her mother to the door.  
  
"What?" Luke asked confused.  
  
Lorelai stared menacingly at her daughter for a moment before turning back toward Luke. "Oh, she must have hit her head upstairs. She seems a little delusional. I better take her home to rest."  
  
"Well . . . okay," Luke said hesitantly, "see you later." With that comment, the Gilmores walked out the door. 


End file.
